Money

Former BU Student Racially Profiled At Philadelphia Starbucks

April 19, 2018 12:29·
Mark Makela Getty Images

Mark Makela Getty Images

Executive chairman Howard Schultz and CEO Kevin Johnson quickly travelled to Philadelphia and met employees, police and community leaders.

The incident allegedly occurred when the two men requested to use the bathroom and were told that they would have to purchase an over-priced, caffeinated beverage to receive the honor of relieving themselves in the relatively trendy lavatory.

Things are definitely heating up at the Starbucks coffee chain.

The lead could not confirm or deny whether their employees will still receive racial bias training.

According to a survey released Wednesday by YouGov BrandIndex, Starbucks' consumer perception score had dropped to its lowest level since November 2015.

No matter how well-intentioned, we are all implicitly biased because we are all human, Fridell says, but recognizing that and how it can unconsciously impact nearly everything we do is the first step in training.

"Not all CEOs are comfortable speaking on these issues", he said.

Bryant Marks, a professor of psychology at Morehouse College who is an implicit bias trainer, said Starbucks' May 29 program must be one step in a longer-term strategy.

"I've spent the last few days in Philadelphia with my leadership team listening to the community, learning what we did wrong and the steps we need to take to fix it", Johnson said in the statement, "While this is not limited to Starbucks, we're committed to being part of the solution". Police waited five minutes to call for help after shooting him seven times in the back; 20 bullets were fired in all.

Salah wants to be the best goal scorer in Liverpool's history
They face SPAL on Saturday in their final game before they arrive on Merseyside for next Tuesday's first leg. He was recently inducted into the PFA Team of the Year and is the hot favourite to land the individual award.

Macquarie Infrastructure (MIC) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts
Clear Harbor Asset Management Ltd Liability Corporation has invested 1.29% in Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation (NYSE:MIC). The stock of Discovery, Inc. and Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation were two of the most active stocks on Monday.

Not a single doubt for Madrid ahead of Bayern clash, claims Lucas
But Zidane, speaking ahead of his side's top-flight clash against Athletic Bilbao tonight, insists he is not at odds with Bale. Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale should rotate back in up top having been rested last time out.

"And companies need to do more than just mandatory, sit-in-front-of-a-computer training", he added. "As a white person, I have to tell myself, 'This is a regular person, just like me.' There's no reason for me to assume anything until I've spoken with them and gotten to know them a little better". "Companies shouldn't have to get their fingers slammed in the door to figure out the importance of training", he said.

In response to the arrests, the mayor's office said the city's Commission on Human Relations would review the company's policies, guidelines and procedures, including whether Starbucks needs additional training training for its employees. "Most people won't jump on the bomb", said M.J. McCallum, vice president and creative director of Muse Communications, an advertising and communications agency with an African-American focus.

In its statement Tuesday, the Seattle-based company suggested it believes racial profiling in commercial settings extends beyond its thousands of US stores but that it meant to enact change where it could.

It was announced on Tuesday that Starbucks will close its more than 8,000 company-operated stores across the United States for one afternoon to train its employees in "racial-bias education".

MarketWatch estimated that the cost to temporarily close the stores in the afternoon of May 29 for the training would cost the company about $12 million in lost revenue.

While the training may have a positive effect on perspectives, people are not overly impressed by the gesture.

It seems like a common and unfortunately effective strategy to use minority spokespersons to perpetuate racism against their own people.

The content of training and who will be administering it are still unknown.

Decreased turnover and higher customer engagement are two results of increased diversity, he added. "It may also inspire other companies to do the same". "Even with a huge operations manual that lays out what to say and what to do, you can't cover everything".

Recommended News

Join The Conversation

We are pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news.
Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper.
Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.